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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to floating or buoyant dispensing devices. More specifically, this invention relates to a buoyant chlorine dispenser for controlled dispensing of chlorine into a swimming pool, wherein the dispenser is specifically designed to avoid interfering with a skimmer device of the swimming pool.
2. Description of the Related Art
Buoyant chlorine dispensers for chlorinating swimming pools are well known. Typically, such dispensers are essentially hollow floating receptacles that store a supply of chlorine in crystal or tablet form therein. The receptacles enable discharge of metered amounts of chlorine through small apertures in the receptacle. Generally, such dispensers float near the surface of the water in the swimming pool and move across the swimming pool in accordance with the flow of the water therein or in response to wind acting thereupon. Unfortunately, however, such dispensers often get swept into the immediate vicinity of swimming pool skimmers.
Swimming pool skimmers are typically built-in to a swimming pool and are located near or at the water""s surface. A typical swimming pool includes a recirculating pump that pulls deep water through drains located in the bottom of the pool and that pulls surface water through the skimmer. To cause surface water to move from the rest of the swimming pool into the skimmer, a significant stream or flow of surface water must be pulled to and through the skimmer.
This flow of surface water tends to pull a free-floating chlorine dispenser into the immediate vicinity of the skimmer and entrap it there in place, thereby leading to several problems. Firstly, typical floating chlorine dispensers tend to inhibit or block the flow of surface water through the skimmer, thereby causing the recirculating pump to cavitate or at least to be impaired or operate inefficiently. Secondly, this flow of surface water can unnecessarily accelerate the dispensing of the chlorine from the dispenser by constant agitation of water passing through the dispenser on its way to the skimmer. Thirdly, chlorine receptacles of typical free-floating dispensers periodically bump into the side of the pool and cause immediate and direct contact of chlorine therewith, thereby staining or fading the sides of the pool. The following prior art patents are illustrative of these typical free-floating dispensers: U.S. Pat. No. 2,934,409 to Biehl; U.S. Pat. No. 3,598,536 to Christensen; U.S. Pat. No. 3,792,979 to Clinton; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,795,551 to Powell.
From the above, it can be appreciated that the free-floating chlorine dispensers of the prior art are not fully optimized and are susceptible to impeding the flow of surface water into a skimmer of a swimming pool. Therefore, what is needed is a free-floating chlorine dispenser for a swimming pool that does not impede the flow of surface water to a skimmer, is not susceptible to accelerated dissolution of chlorine therefrom, and maintains a receptacle a predetermined distance from the sides of a swimming pool.
According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention there is provided a unique dispensing device for use in a body of fluid. The dispensing device includes inner and outer receptacle members for containing a medium therein and for dispensing the medium into the body of fluid. Reaction members are provided to absorb an input force from the body of fluid, wherein offset members connect the receptacle members to the reaction members and thereby space the reaction members from the receptacle members. In operation, the reaction members absorb the input force from the body of fluid and impart the input force to the receptacle members in the form of a rotational reaction force whereby the dispensing device is rotationally and linearly displaced within the body of fluid.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a dispensing device that will automatically displace itself out of the vicinity of a skimming device of a swimming pool by absorbing and converting an impulse force from the body of water to a rotational reaction force whereby the dispensing device rotates and translates.
It is another object to provide a dispensing device that maintains the receptacle portion of the device a predetermined distance away from and out of contact with another object.
It is a still another object to provide a dispensing device that permits easy adjustment of the receptacle portion of the device to selectively meter and release a medium housed therein.
It is yet another object to provide a dispensing device having adjustable vane members thereon.
These objects and other features, aspects, and advantages of this invention will be more apparent after a reading of the following detailed description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings.